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August 2019
An environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County.
BizRecycling Wins National Award
 We’re proud to share that the National Association of Counties has honored BizRecycling with a 2019 Achievement Award in the category of County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability. While the BizRecycling program has often been recognized locally as innovative and effective, it is exciting to see it now being recognized on a national level.
BizRecycling helps businesses in Ramsey and Washington counties start and expand recycling and organics collection programs through free on-site consultations, technical assistance and guidance. The program offers grants of up to $10,000 to help businesses’ recycling efforts. Visit BizRecycling.com to learn more about how your business could benefit.
Local Food Truck Uses Grant Money to Start Recycling
 Gateway Trailside food truck operator, Tamra Hartman, is passionate about healthy food and improving the environment. However, the Stillwater/Grant area business owner was having trouble finding a waste hauler that would collect recycling and organics from her remote location. So she reached out to our recycling experts to make it happen.
Our experts were able to connect her with a hauler to provide both recycling and organics collection. With a BizRecycling grant, Tamra was also able to purchase a high-quality outdoor recycling bin and a six-month supply of certified compostable materials to make general recycling and organics recycling easy for her customers.
Gateway Trailside expects to divert over 8,000 pounds of waste from the trash stream every season, with the bulk of that coming from organics recycling. “I love being able to tell my customers that everything I just handed them can go into the compost bin. We really don’t have much trash anymore.” said Tamra.
BizRecycling works with businesses in Ramsey and Washington counties to improve their recycling and organics collection. Learn more at BizRecycling.com or call 651-266-1199.
Ramsey County Master Gardeners to Host Open House
 The Ramsey County Master Gardener Program, University of Minnesota Extension, will host an open house Saturday, August 10, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. It will take place at their historic home, “The Barn/Ramsey County Extension,” 2020 White Bear Avenue, Maplewood, MN.
Come learn about the Master Gardener Program in Ramsey County, tour their demonstration gardens, visit the on-site Plant Diagnostic Clinic and find out how to do organics recycling.
For more information, call 651-704-2053 or email auss0004@umn.edu.
What to Do with Shredded Paper
 Recycle better! You may have been told you can recycle shredded paper in your recycling cart, if you put it in a paper bag and staple the bag shut. But the tiny pieces of paper are difficult to sort at the recycling facilities and they don't get recycled, even if you put them in a paper bag. The rule of thumb is to not put any paper smaller than a postcard in your recycling cart. So what should you do with shredded paper? First, ask yourself if it really needs to be shredded. If it does, refer to our A to Z Recycling and Disposal Guide for retail locations that shred your documents for you for a small fee or put it in your trash.
Shop Secondhand for Back-to-School Clothes
 Do your children need new clothes for the school year? You can save money and protect the environment by shopping at one of the many thrift and consignment stores in Ramsey County. These shops offer all sizes and styles of clothing for the younger set. There are also vintage clothes shops that may appeal to teens. No matter where you live in Ramsey County, there is a thrift store near you. Just search online!.
Did you know?
What’s Happening with Recycling?
You may have heard bad news about recycling in the national news recently. Locally, the good news is that Minnesota recycling markets are stronger than in the rest of the country and your materials are still being recycled. The bad news is that the value of recycled materials is currently down.
The best thing you can do to support recycling is to do your part by recycling right. The better we do at recycling, the cleaner and more valuable our recyclables are:
- Keep your recyclables clean and loose in your recycling cart. Rinse leftover food from containers. (Food contaminates the materials.) Never put your recyclables in plastic bags because they tangle recycling equipment.
- Don’t “wishcycle.” If you don’t know whether something should go in your recycling bin, it is better to throw questionable items away, than to contaminate your recycling.
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